Ukraine’s newly appointed defense chief has first phone call with Canadian counterpart

Canadian National Defense Minister Bill Blair discussed further Canadian support to Ukraine with the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov.

Blair himself wrote about the call on the X social network, Ukrinform reports.

"Today, I spoke with Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov about how Canada can continue to support Ukraine’s sovereignty," Blair said.

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He added that Canada "has committed over $1.8 billion in military aid to Ukraine – and we will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes."

The total volume of various assistance provided by Canada to Ukraine after the Russian invasion exceeds $8 billion. In addition, the country has accepted more than 170,000 Ukrainian refugees and is actively training Ukrainian defenders on the territory of Poland, Great Britain, and Latvia.